The
Second International Conference Seminar on Skanda-Murukan is currently (24-28
April 2001) underway in Mauritius. The Government of Mauritius and the Mahatma
Gandhi Institute of Moka, Mauritius are jointly hosting the Conference. About
one hundred delegates including scholars and informed devotees are
participating in research presentations on a broad range of subjects. For
details go to:
Conference topics and speakers http://murugan.org/events/conf_topics.htm
The
theme of the 2nd Conference is: Murukan Bhakti among the
Tamil diaspora".
Visit
the Murugan.org website for newly published papers from the Murukan Conference
series.
II. Discovery Channel
documentary retelecast 29 April
The
Discovery Channel documentary on body-piercing practices at Kataragama Adi
Festival is to be retelecast Sunday 29 April in North America at 10 pm EDT/PDT
on The Discovery Channel.
Note
that this telecast is for North America only. Later telecast in Europe, Asia,
Africa & Australia will be at a later date. Watch this website and the
Murugan Bhakti newsletter for details.
The
one-hour documentary is a video montage contrasting body-piercing practices in
three far-flung locales: southern Sudan in Africa, the Kataragama festival in
Sri Lanka, and young Americans in New York and Texas, USA. The documentary was
first telecast on 21 January in North America.
See
also this Discovery
Channel announcement
III. What
else is new at Murugan Bhakti?
Once again there have been so
many additions (over two dozen to Murugan.org since the last newsletter of a
few months ago that we can only offer an overview of highlights. These include:
IV. Palani.org: New Murugan Bhakti associate website
V. Kataragama season approaches
Murugan Bhakti editor Patrick Harrigan is currently winding up his USA visit after visiting Texas to give a presentation on Kataragama Pada Yatra at the Houston Śrī Meenakshi Amman Temple on 31 March. Even while traveling and meeting with friends, family and devotees across the USA, Patrick managed to launch several new websites including palani.org and added several dozen new articles to the Murugan.org and Kataragama.org websites.
Patrick wishes to express special appreciation to Data Point Systems Inc. of Atlanta for providing a new Sony Vaio notebook, air ticket to Sri Lanka and funds to purchase needed hardware including still camera and digital camcorder. Such support makes it possible for Murugan Bhakti to continue to grow and expand its scope upon a solid foundation after years of bare subsistence.
On 15 May Patrick will return to Sri Lanka for the two-month Kataragama festival season (his 15th since 1972), including 40-day pada yatra from Trincomalee to Kataragama and fortnight-long Esala festival from 20 July to 5 August. During this period Murugan Bhakti websites will go into hibernation and no new pages will be published until Patrick returns from Kataragama. From 15 August onwards Patrick will be based in Chennai once again and regular publications will resume. For enquiries contact kataragama@gmail.com.
To
read past issues, go to the Murugan Bhakti online archives at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/murugan_bhakti/
If you wish to submit a message
for other subscribers to the Murugan Bhakti newsletter or if you wish to
contact the editor, address your message to: kataragama@gmail.com (editor/moderator Patrick Harrigan)
This is a moderated newsletter,
i.e. the editor/moderator will publish messages deemed suitable and appropriate
for the newsletter. You can invite a friend to receive the newsletter by using
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